8 Fascinating New Pills

1

The Anti-Alcoholism Pill that Cuts Back Drinking by 61%

Drinking problems, anyone? There might be a quicker solution now. Available in the UK since May 2013, the new drug, called Selincro, claims to cut alcohol consumption levels by 61%.

While current drugs help patients become teetotalers, this pill helps people with drinking problems cut back on the *amount* they drink. The drug works by modulating the reward mechanism in the brain.

A clinical trial of the drug helped patients cut the amount they consumed from 12.75 units a day to five units a day - a 61% reduction. Also, patients who underwent counselling as well as taking the drug reduced their "heavy drinking days" from 23 days a month to nine days a month after undergoing the treatment for six months, researchers said.
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2

The Birth Control Pill for Men

Attention men: The day may be coming when you can take your own birth control pill with no side effects.

Scientists from Israel to Mexico to Texas are racing against each other to become the first to deliver a birth control pill that gives men the power to decide. While many men might be reluctant to take out the trash or ask for directions if they are lost, recent studies have shown that about 70 percent of men would be willing to take a birth control pill if it were available.

Mexican scientists from the UNAM University say they have discovered two proteins that are unique to sperm cells called CatSper and Slo3. These proteins essentially give sperm the energy they need to navigate a woman's ovaries and fertilize her eggs. The scientists are now trying to develop a molecule that can disable CatSper and Slo3, thus depriving sperm cells of the mojo they need to do their jobs.

At the same time, Texan researchers working on mice found that a compound called JQ1 acts as an inhibitor to sperm production and also sperm mobility. "Both of these are needed for fertility, but JQ1 prevents both," Li says of the findings. Though the mice were given injections, the team believes that a pill could eventually be developed for the same results.

In addition, back in 2010 it was reported that an Israeli professor created a new pill, called Bright Pill, that similarly jammed the biochemical machinery of sperm.
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3

The Digital Pill that Monitors your Health

"Take two of these ingestible computers, and they will e-mail me in the morning," your doctor might say one day. While they look like normal pills, oblong and a little smaller than a vitamin, the pills are in fact microscopic robots which will monitor your systems and wirelessly transmit what is happening.

Created by Proteus Digital Health, a small company in Redwood City, CA, they do not need a battery. Instead, the body is their power source. Just as a potato can power a light bulb, Proteus has added magnesium and copper on each side of its tiny sensor, which generates just enough electricity from stomach acids.

As a Proteus pill hits the bottom of the stomach, it sends information to a cellphone app through a patch worn on the body. The tiny computer can track medication-taking behaviors — “Did Grandma take her pills today, and at what time?” — and monitor how a patient's body is responding to medicine. It also detects the person's movements and rest patterns.
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4

The Password Pill that Authenticates You

Are You always forgetting your password? In June 2013, Motorola announced its intent to develop a line of pills containing passwords that will make authentication relatively seamless.

The product has been tested, and successfully authenticated a smartphone. However, although the capsule works well and has been approved by the FDA, they don't plan to ship anytime soon.
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5

The Birth Control Pill for Dogs

A new drug in the works, called "Chemspay," could be a non-surgical alternative to spaying female dogs and a major change for animal shelters. The contraceptive drug can either be administered orally or through injection, and based on trials it significantly reduces the number of eggs in a female dog's ovaries, making them sterile.

Along with SenesTech, a biotech company that specializes in "humane animal population management," Arizona scientist Dr. Loretta Mayer has been developing the contraceptive for some years now, and expects it to take at least until 2017 for Chemspay to gain FDA approval for distribution in the United States.
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6

The Pill that Can Get you Drunk without Drinking

Want to put the Anti-Alcoholism Pill to the test? Thanks to a new technique developed by Russian professor Evgeny Moskalev, now you can get drunk without drinking. Moskalev has created an "alcohol pill" using a method that transforms alcohol into a powder, which can then be packed into potent pills.

He reports having tested his technique on liquor "containing as much as 96% alcohol content," notes MyFoxSpokane. Moskalev claims to be able to create an alcohol pill from just about any boozy beverage, including whiskey, cognac, beer, and wine. While it's not in production, the good Doc has proved his point!
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7

The Bug Repellent Pill

Are you bugged by bugs? No more, because Mozi-Q, the first oral bug repellent, is available in Canada and the US starting this summer.

Recently approved by Health Canada, but also available in the US online, it's "great" for anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors without being annoyed by mosquitoes, according to its creators. Mozi-Q works within 30 minutes, has no side effects, and repels mosquitoes and other bugs in a way that enables people to take back the outdoors.

8

The Gold Pill That Makes You Poop Glitter

You might not be made of money, but now you can drop golden stools with these digestible gold pills. Your poo-poo will shine with a captivating glittery and golden hue, and afterwards you can even sell your gold chocolate extract to jewelers! These Gold Pills were actually part of the "INDULGENCE" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art of San Francisco, but they could, indeed, be ingested.
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